Gunsmoke in the Philippines

Gunsmoke in the Philippines
I grew up watching a Cowboy Western by the name of Gunsmoke where Matt Dillon shot the bad guys and he went into the Saloon and said hello to Kitty. I had a little déjà vu the other day walking down Mabini towards my Hotel.

I see this little guy holding up his first in some twisted way, a very good statue and good interpretation of the Philippines.

I walk by these young men playing Chess, I take a photo without asking and the one jumps up to come after me… too funny, I give him a look and he stops.

I turn from Manila Bay where just the day before I took a photo of children walking on trash in the water and work my way back into the Wild West here in the Philippines.

I am stumbling along, not really, thinking, a person has to concentrate when walking down the streets of the Philippines or you may fall into a hole. I would advise you to never look to close, or get too close; you truly do not want to know what is in the big holes in the road.

Suddenly I hear a voice,
“Where are you going?”
I look up, I can see an L.A Café girl, I start to laugh, I feel like I am in the television show Gunsmoke and few saloon girls are hollering at me from the balcony. There is something great about a saloon girl with no remorse, confidences that eludes me, but exist.

It felt like she was saying,
“Hey cowboy, where are your going?”

I pulled out my gun and shot her with my camera, shrugged my shoulder and walked down the street. There are people who are afraid of everything and there are those with no fear.

I cannot remember Matt Dillon getting too excited. I do not remember John Wayne paying much attention to the silliness around him. The world is a silly place, and the Philippines is a soap opera on steroids.